Redoubt of the Soul
by beaglejones
Summary: Mercy doesn't like talking about the day she lost her parents to people around her. But sometimes, she does think about that day. Even more than 20 years later. A:This is my take on how Mercy lost her parents, which created the basis for who she later became.


**De Bundesrat het die nationali Abschanzigsbarrikade aktiviert. Sämtlichi Bürger i de folgende Kanton hend sich in iri zuegwisene Schutzbunker z'begäh. Armeekonvois werded stündlich Zivilischte us de zuegwisene Schutzbunker evakuiere. Es wird nur eis Gepäckstück g'schtattet. Bliibet si wachsam und uf dr Huet.**

 **The Federal Council has activated the National Redoubt. All Citizens residing in the following Cantons must evacuate to their designated shelters. Armee convoys will depart with evacuess from designated shelters on an hourly basis. Only one bag will be permitted. Be aware of your surroundings. Stay Alert.**

It was 10 P.M., long after her bedtime. Though her parents never knew, she would frequently pretend to go to sleep, and creep down by the stairwell to watch the news, ever since the war started at least. One of her parents usually pullws over hours at the University Hospital of Zurich, while the other made sure to keep up on the news. Sitting by the stairwell behind the living room, Angela looked tensely at the TV. She did not know what redoubt was, only that the situation was bad. Angela's eyes were too slow to read all of the following names of the Cantons. Her parent's however, caught on almost immediately. They knew that the omnium in Alsace had been quarantined. They knew that Stuttgart was under virtual siege. They should know. They've been taking care of refugees ever since the Baden omnium went active. Ever since that day, Switzerland had been preparing for an emergency. The northern cantons had been fortified and the reserves had been activated. What they had not prepared for was for the Omnium in Alsace to be breached and the Omnics to breakthrough within a week.

She watched as her parents hastily exchanged words in front of the TV. Their voices hushed. Not knowing that she was watching from the stairs.

"They'll be needing help in the hospital we have to go!"

"Dear, think of your daughter's safety."

"The _Armee_ is in Kloten! They'll be at the hospital too. They're evacuating children first. Angela get evacuated there and then us!"

"We have no idea if they're there! You saw how quickly they're advancing!"

" _Mueter_?" Angela said. Barely louder than a whisper, but enough to garner her parents' attention.

She didn't know what possessed her to make her presence known. Only that she didn't want them to fight. Her mother looked up. She could see the fear and frustration evaporate from her mother's green eyes as she came to hold her daughter. Her mother mustered a smile alongside her father. Soft hands embraced her small body. Angela wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. She burrowed into her mother's long brunette hair. Her mother turned to her father, hiding a stern gaze from her daughter.

"How can you be so certain about everything?" she said, almost a hiss.

Suddenly, a phone rang. Her father, looking exasperated ran across the living room to pick it up. Frantic words could be heard in the background, but Angela could only care about the warmth she felt from her mother's arms.

"It's past your bedtime _schatzli_ … What are you doing up so late? I thought we talked about this." Her mother said sternly.

"…I'm sorry. I heard _vati_ and you arguing." She whispered quietly. Her voice retreating as it always did when she thought was in trouble.

"It's quite alright _Engel_ … I'm sorry we woke you." She said, patting her daughter on the back.

Her father marched briskly back into the living room. He inhaled deeply, ruffling his blonde hair in the process. He looked at the emergency message again, and then turned to his wife.

There are casualties pouring in from Kloten, Basserdorf, and Wallisellen They need all hands. They're sending a military jeep in an hour to pick us up."

Her mother looked incredulous, "Are we expected to stay and die with the military?!"

"There are convoys from the Hospital leaving as well. Your daughter can leave with the earliest convoy. You two can leave once the situation has stabilized."

Her mother did not look convinced. With a sigh, her father continued in.

" _Schatz_ … It's safer with the military. They're transporting injured soldiers out of the area. Angela can go with them and then us too. Please. I'm begging you. You know the hospital can't save all of those souls without us."

Her mother stared into her father's blue eyes. Finally relenting, she nodded in agreement.

Setting Angela down, her mother quickly turned to her.

"Go get your emergency backpack and meet us outside. Just like we practiced."

"Are we going to be alright, _mueter_?" She asked

"Of course, _schatzli_." Her mother responded with a smile. She kissed her on the forehead and gently nudged her towards her room

* * *

The first thing she saw when she entered the hospital was blood. Not on the floor, but on the faces of exhausted soldiers and nurses bumping into each other. They passed several full wards, many with patients lying on beds, there faces covered by blankets. She didn't understand at the time why. She thought they were just sleepy and needed help closing their eyes

She was left at the ward next to the exit. Outside, Angela could see airships landing. Nurses with stretchers carried out bloodied men and women in cameos. She saw her father speak quickly with one of the military police. He returned with a slight smile on his face.

"The parking lot is the evac point. We can get Angela out there and follow suit. The next convoy comes in 32 minutes."

"I don't know…." Her mother responded.

"There will be more." He said back to her smiling reassuringly. "We should get to work. We save lives. It's what we do."

Her father, a tall man, kneeled down to Angela.

"We'll see you soon, _schatzli_ …" he said as he kissed his daughter. Angela briefly embraced her when a man in uniform beckoned him to follow. He and her mother walked into a nearby ward with the man.

She sat waiting patiently. This, she was used to as well. She frequently waited for her parents to finish work in hospital lobbies. She could surely do the same in an exit hall. She would usually have a book or some other form of entertainment. Tonight, there was no need for that. Soldiers and doctors rushed around like hornets, looking for orders and direction.

Outside, she heard two men gibbering into their communication pieces.

"Say again? I repeat say again."

"What the hell is going on out there corporal!"

"I'm trying to get through sir, just-"

"JUST GET ME THE GODDAMN SITUATION CORPORAL!"

She observed the two men with terrified curiosity. There was a moment of silence between the two. The corporal had his hand on the earpiece, listening intensely. Sweat dripping from his forehead. Angela was amazed that the man wasn't melting, with all of his gear. For a while, the corporal stood listening while the other man paced about impatiently. The pacing man looked like he was about to yell again when, the corporal looked up. With all the grime and blood on the man's face, Angela could still see how the color drained from the corporal.

"Army Group North has retreated sir…. Kloten has fallen…"

As if on cue, there was an enormous shudder across the hospital wards. She heard people exchanging gasps. Then came the screaming. Quickly, she peered out the window of her ward.

It was as if someone had lit a massive ball of fire that was now slowly marching towards the city itself, intent on consuming everything in its path. Hellish fires pushed an orange glow up to the night sky, a plume of smoke that began to cover the city and the lake. The mountain was ablaze and doctors and soldiers began to scramble at a heightened pace. She stood there, watching the fire slowly advance down the hills and into the outskirts of the city. She stood mesmerized until two large hands grabbed her shoulder and turned around. It was the corporal. His face still white and covered grime.

"Little girl, what are you doing? You need to get out of here now!"

"I'm waiting for my parents." She responded. The man's expression scared her. She rooted her feet to the ground and clenched her fist. She would not leave this spot until her parents came. Come what may.

"There's no time for that! Come with me! The Last Convoy leaves now!" He responded and grabbed her left arm. She yanked it out of his grasp. He grabbed her again, and dragged her to the door of the ward when she slipped out. She ran back into the ward.

"I WILL WAIT FOR MY PARENTS!" She yelled at the man. Why couldn't he understand that she would leave with them?

This time the man did not wait. He picked her up by the waist and began to carry her out of the ward. She kicked and she screamed for her parents. How would they know where to find her? Did this man care?

"I WANT MY PARENTS!" She screamed as her punches slammed into his helmet. The corporal quickly paced out into the parking lot and towards an airship.

"PUT HER DOWN! ANGELA!" shouted a man. The voice was rather familiar. The corporal put her down, and she instinctively ran towards the voice. She ran straight into her father's arms. He picked her up.

"I'm right here..." He whispered into her ear. Her father quickly carried her to the airship, her mother following closely in tow.

"I have a child… Please…" His father breathed, out of breath and exhausted.

The man at the door looked at the three of them with exhausted eyes.

"We've only room for one."

"They've broken through the northern limits! They're advancing! We need to leave now!" A voice shouted in the cockpit.

"We'll take the next one. Take my daughter please…"

"You don't understand. This is the last one. We can't send more convoys. The enemy is too close!" He said. "I'm sorry…" He added weakly.

Her father glanced at her mother. His face defeated and white. "I'm sorry…. I did this to us." He started to shake angrily at his own foolishness, knowing that he had doomed them all. Her mother walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be…" She said. Her eyes welled with tears. "You were only trying to help. Like you always do…" She added with a weak smile.

Her father nodded back. Breathing to calm himself, he settled Angela down. He kneeled and looked into her eyes.

"Listen to us carefully _schatzli_ …" He whispered. His stare scared her as he caught his breath. His lips were quivering. Angela stood there, her eyes shining with fear. "You need to leave now. These men will keep you safe. They'll take care of you. Promise to be good. Remember what we taught you. " He choked. Then he managed to smile. His voice tinged with a smile, "You… be a good girl, okay?" He embraced her tightly. She felt water on her shoulders. She didn't understand. Was he not coming with her?

"But we're going together?" She asked. Her eyes wide and welling up as well.

Her father didn't answer. He let out his breath shakily and shed a tear. She had never seen her father cry. Her mother walked up and promptly picked her up. She set her down at the step of the airship door. Her eyes still overflowing. Her mother, ever the strong woman that she was, once again plastered a smile on her face.

"Remember… _schatzli._ Even in the darkest of moments, there is happiness to be found in the world. Respect and love all around you and your life will be a blessing. Be gentle and compassionate. You'll find your way." Lips quivering, she placed a kiss on Angela's forehead. " _Mein engel_. _meine einzige tochter_ , Remember…All life is precious."

"You're coming too." She said, attempting to replicate the sternness that her parents so frequently used when they were upset with her. Hoping, that if she was stern, her mother would give way. Her arms crossed. Her lips quivering.

"…Wherever you go, _schatzli._ Remember that we love you." Her mother responded, eyes closed, rivers of tears flowing down her cheeks. "You'll never be alone."

Why did she keep saying that? Did she not hear her? " _Mueter_ , we're going together."

Her mother's lips let out a sad gasp. She reached her hand and placed it on Angela's heart. "From now on… we'll be right here."

She wanted to stamp her foot, she wanted to yell, she wanted to hit her mother for giving up. They're right there. How could they go away? How could they tell her they won't be there? Why would they send her away alone?

She couldn't hold back anymore. Wrapping her arms around her mother's neck and holding on for dear life, she cried and shook madly.

"I DON'T WANT YOU IN MY HEART! I WANT YOU TO BE WITH ME! DON'T SEND ME AWAY ALONE! PLEASE! PLEASE!" She screamed, burrowing her head into her mother's chest. She couldn't think. The world was ending and all she could think of was that her parents were right there, standing in front of her. They can't disappear. She didn't know how long she cried, how long she screamed, or how many times she yelled please to her mother, until her voice grew hoarse and she started to cough, tears flying out of her face. "Please." She finally sobbed, out of breath.

Her mother finally broke. Shaking, she held her daughter, her _only_ daughter, and began to sob on the doorway of the airship. Her soft arms wrapped around Angela, covering her entire body. She held her daughter close, knowing that this may be the last time she would ever hold her.

"Ma'am, please. We need to leave now." The voice came from the cockpit, it was gentle but firm. Hearing the man's word's, she stayed her crying and looked into her child's eyes.

"You are the greatest thing that could have ever happen to us. Your our everything…Always remember, we love you…..." Her mother breathed out steadily.

Jet engines began to wind.

"Don't leave me…" Angela begged into her mother's ear, no longer able to scream or yell.

The jets grew louder.

"We never will. We'll always be with you. So long as you remember us. We'll be there. Right besides you." She said, the plastered smile had returned once again, doing everything it could to keep her mother steady, to tell her daughter that things would be okay. One last time.

The engines were roaring.

"...Will I ever see you again?" Angela cried, still holding on to her mother, refusing to part with the one of the two family she had left. Her tears drenching her mother's collarbone.

The helicopter lifted an inch off of the ground.

"I promise you, Angela, we will meet again… Until then... be strong, _mein engel_." her mother said finally. Her own tears wetting her daughter. With that, she placed one final kiss on her daughter's forehead, and with colossal effort, released her embrace.

A pair of hands grabbed Angela from the back and pulled her into the airship. She screamed again as the vehicle lurched forward. Through her wet eyes, she saw her crying parents through the closing gap of the airship doors. She could make out a faint "We love you" being drowned out by the roaring jets.

* * *

Mercy leaned against the railing and looked out to the sea. The moon shone brightly over the horizon and gave a silver lighting to the water, glistening peacefully. The soft breeze played gently with her undone hair. She usually didn't think of that day. At least she tried not to. It was nearly twenty-seven years ago after all. She didn't mention it to anyone around her either, even if they were people that she trusted. She always believed, as a doctor, it was her job to put the comfort and wellbeing, physical or emotional, of her patients above her own. She would not let her own past tangle with that.

But sometimes… Sometimes she did wonder. She wondered whether her parents would have been proud of her joining Overwatch. She wondered whether everything she had done would make them happy. There was a time when she was actually angry that her parents sent her away, back when she was convinced she would have rather died with them. There were times when she cried herself to sleep, quietly in University Hospital of Zurich after the city was reclaimed, and at Overwatch. There were times where she cried so much, she wasn't sure whether she could produce anymore tears. Now, when she thinks back to those days, she hopes. She hopes that her father didn't blame himself for what happened. He was always a bit of a stoic. She hopes that he didn't regret his stern attitude towards her. She hopes her mother didn't regret spending so little time with her due to her work. She sincerely prays that they were able to find a small amount of peace while their world burned around them, knowing that their daughter had survived.

Tears travelled down her cheek and fell into the sea below. Well… It seemed like she wasn't entirely done crying. She exhaled softly, and looked to the moon. It looked like it always appeared. Like the moon her parents and she would watch over Lake Zurich.

She shook her head as tears kept pouring. Remembering her mother's words _Even in the darkest of moments, there is happiness to be found in the world_. She thought back to her parents and smiled.

If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that they would meet again. Someday.

 **A/N**

 **So this is my take on how Mercy lost her parents and would eventually grow to be the character that we all know and love. I really hope I do her character justice, she's an amazing character. I apologize in advance if it gets too emotional.**

 **Just a side note, the beginning message is a variation of the emergency broadcast system that we have here in the United States. Cantons are the Swiss equivalent of a state. Armee is derived from Schweizer Armee (The Swiss Armed Forces). National Redoubt is a strategy adopted by Switzerland in World War II designed to fight the Germans should they ever declare war (never happened). The strategy was to evacuate south into the mountain passes in order to continue a campaign. I felt that it would have probably been active during the Omnic Crisis. Redoubt is also a temporary fortress of sorts. Hence the title.**

 **Translations**

 **Schatzli- treasure (Pet-name)**

 **meuter- mother (Swiss German)**

 **mein engel- my angel (German)**

 **meine enzige tochter- My only daughter (German)**


End file.
